Nizar Ibrahim (born in 1982) is a German-Moroccan

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, with c ...

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

and

comparative anatomist Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species). The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...

. He is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth. Ibrahim has led several expeditions to Africa's Sahara and is notable for his research on fossil vertebrates from the

Kem Kem Group The Kem Kem Group (commonly known as the Kem Kem beds) is a geological group in the Kem Kem region of eastern Morocco, whose strata date back to the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Its strata are subdivided into two geological formations ...

, including pterosaurs,

crocodyliforms Crocodyliformes is a clade of crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the only pseudo ...

, and dinosaurs. In recent years, research led by Ibrahim radically changed ideas about the

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

and life habits of one of the largest predatory dinosaurs, ''

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus ''Spinosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what now is North Africa during the Cenomanian to upper Turonian stages of the Late Cretaceous period, about 99 to 93.5 million years ago. The genus was known first f ...

''. Ibrahim also has interests in bioinformatics and contributed to the NSF-funded Phenoscape project. He regularly engages with the public and is a speaker with the National Geographic Speakers Bureau. Spinosaurus aegyptiacus skeletal

Biography

Youth and education

Nizar Ibrahim was born on 8 September 1982 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He has German and Moroccan ancestry, with his grandfather being the third Prime Minister of Morocco,

Abdallah Ibrahim Abdallah Ibrahim (; 24 August 1918, in Tameslouht– 11 September 2005, in Casablanca) was a Moroccan politician and a figure of the national movement and was the left-wing Prime Minister of Morocco between December 16, 1958, and May 20, 1960. H ...

. Since his childhood, he has been very enthusiastic about animals and their diversity, anatomy, and evolution. He also loved fiction and nonfiction stories of adventures around the world. At 5 years old, he decided that he was going to become a paleontologist while reading a book on dinosaurs. He obtained a Bachelor of science in

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

and

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

from the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

in 2006. In 2011, he obtained his PhD from

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

's School of Medicine and Medical Science. He carried out his postdoctoral studies at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

for four years.

Career

He was an assistant professor at the

University of Detroit Mercy The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic univers ...

, where he taught human anatomy, comparative anatomy, and evolution between 2018 and 2020. Ibrahim is a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth. In Morocco, he works with a number of Moroccan researchers and students based at

Hassan II University Hassan II University of Casablanca (UH2C) (Arabic: جامعة الحسن الثاني بالدار البیضاء‎; French: Université Hassan II de Casablanca), established in 1975, is a public university which is the result of a recent merge ...

. Ibrahim was one of 21 people selected as a

TED fellow TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

in 2015, which makes him the "first paleontologist in the history of the program".

Awards and recognition

* In 2014, he was selected as a member of National Geographic's Emerging Explorer Program. * In 2015, he was named a

TED Fellow TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

. * In 2015, he was listed in Crain’s “40 Under 40”. * In 2019, his Spinosaurus discovery was named one of the Top 20 Scientific Discoveries of the Decade by National Geographic.

Selected publications

* * * * * *

References

External links

Nizar Ibrahim's biography
on

*
Interview with Dinosaurs expert Nizar Ibrahim
on

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

Living people 1982 births German paleontologists Moroccan paleontologists People from Berlin {{Authority control Alumni of the University of Bristol Alumni of University College Dublin University of Detroit Mercy faculty